In front of a smiling crowd, a crane lifted the sparkling crystal star off the ground and raised it to the top where construction workers fixed it in place upon the tree.
The tree is a great Norwegian spruce that fills Rockefeller Square. Scaffolding has temporarily been erected around the tree for decorating and a small portion of the tree’s crown has already been covered in multicolored Christmas lights.
“I used to come to Rockefeller Center every year from the time I was 5 years old to look at the tree” said Robert Brawer, an ex-New Yorker who moved to Maryland 30 years ago. “I happened to be in the area and I heard they were putting up the star so I stopped to reminisce.”
John Howard, an electrician, was at the scene watching some old co-workers work on the tree. “Yeah, it definitely has special meaning to me when I look at it; I worked on it one year,” said Howard. “I helped to put up the lights the same year the Twin Towers went down in 2001.”
According to crystal manufacturer Swarovski’s website, the star weighs 550 pounds. It is the largest star to ever sit atop the Rockefeller tree and measures nine and one half feet across. The website says the star has 25,000 crystals with a million reflective facets.
An exact replica of the star has been put on display at Saks Fifth Avenue adjacent to Rockefeller Plaza giving people the chance to get a closer look.
